The Stars at Oktober Bend: a powerful and Amnesty-recommended YA story about love and healing - Softcover

An absolute tour de force! So beautifully written and with an unforgettable narrative "voice", this is definitely one of the outstanding reads of the year so far. -- Joy Court The Stars at Oktober Bend is so beautifully and carefully written it seems each word is pure gold... Out of terrible crimes evolves a story of forgiveness and redemption, told with passion, heart and humour; it is unforgettable. * Books for Keeps magazine * It was absolutely luminous; I couldn't stop reading it, and when I finally forced myself to put it down I couldn't stop thinking about it. Alice and Manny are so beautifully drawn, and their stories are explored with such care: she may write, and he may run - but together they fly. -- Maggie Harcourt Heartrending and, ultimately, hopeful, this tells the extraordinarily powerful tale of unforgettable Alice. * lovereading4kids.co.uk * It is magnificent - one of the most startling things for this age group I've read this year. -- Clare Zinkin * Minerva Reads blog * It is incredibly powerful, haunting, spirited, joyous. Like all of Millard's work, it is a story that makes you feel. Don't let it pass you by. -- Melanie McGilloway * Library Mice blog * Surprising, lyrical and beautiful, this book speaks of hope in the darkest of times, and of love in its many forms. The voices of Alice and Manny are distinctive and memorable, and their resilience will stay with me... -- Liz Flanagan Beautifully told through the eyes and words of the two protagonists, damaged emotionally and physically, I was willing Alice and Manny to find a way to happiness through the small-town bigotry of Oktober Bend. The writing is quirky, poetic and haunting. Surrounded by rising floodwaters, the ending had me on the edge of my seat. -- Sarah Stuffins

Glenda Millard is a highly respected author who writes for children of all ages. Her novel A Small Free Kiss in the Dark was the Winner of the 2009 Queensland Premier's Award for young adults, Honour Book in the 2010 CBCA awards for older readers, shortlisted for the 2010 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and included on the Honour List for the 2012 International Board of Books for Young People.